Sealing apparatus for jars, &amp;c.



A. L. WEISSENTHANNER.

SEALING APPARATUS FOR JARS, m.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5 1912- v 1 ,1 96,9 1 5. v A Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

a z iaflttozmeg- 2 A. L. WEISSENTHANNER.

SEALING APPARATUS FOR JARS, 6m.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1912.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALFRED I4. 'WEISSENTHANNER, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

SEALING APPARATUS iron JARS, 800.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed February 5, 1912. Serial No. 675,621.

To all whom it m izy concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. WEISSEN- THANNER, a citizen of France, and resident of Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sealing Apparatus for Jars, &c. of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to apparatus for sealing by the so-called vacuum-process receptacles containing conserved fruits, jellies, and the like. In that process, as is well understood, the receptacle, almost wholly filled with the cooked substance and with the cover loosely applied, is introduced into a closed chamber; air is then exhausted from the chamber to induce a vacuum within the same and the receptacle, and thereupon air is permitted to enter the chamber, the result lation with the upper edge of the receptacle.

being that the cover, by virtue of the external atmospheric pressure thereon, is pressed into and maintained in intimate sealing re- The object of my invention is to provide a vacuum sealing apparatus of simple and efilcient construction and operation, where by a large number of receptacles can be expeditiously sealed; and to this end my invention, as generally stated, comprises various novel features of construction and organization which will be. hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawingsFigure 1 is a front elevation of a sealing apparatus embodying my invention, the vacuum chest being shown in raised position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the connecting devices between the air-inlet valve of the vacuum chest and the liquid return valve of the hydraulic mechanism. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section, illustrating the action of the stationary sea'ling head upon the covers of the receptacles. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section, as on the line 55 of Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of a portion of the sealing head showing more clearly the elastic pad thereof. Figs. 7 and 8 are transverse sections through one of the metallic covers showing the contour of the same before and after the action of the sealing head thereon.

1 designates a vertically reclprocable chest of appropriate size and shape wh ch affords a vacuum chamber to receive and contain the receptacles to be sealed. One wall of the chest is conveniently provided with a hinged door 2 to permit access thereto for the ready insertion and removal of the receptacles; the door being preferably automatlcally closed as, for example, by the actlon of a suitably-disposed weighted lever 3. Enterlng the upper portion of the chest is a pipe 4 which is flexibly connected, as

by the hose 5, with a suitable air-exhaust pump (not shown) which is maintained in constant operation. The chest is advantageously equipped with an indicator as 6. A stufling box 7 in the top of the chest slidlngly receives a rigid rod '8 which not only affords a vertical guide for. the chest but carries and sustains within the chamber a stationary sealing head. This rod depends from a cross-bar 9 which is sustained by posts 10 rising from a bed 11 supported by approprlate standards 12. Suitably-disposed springs 13 encircling posts l lrising from the top of the chest serve to maintain the latter normally depressed. The sealing head comprises a metal plate or body 15 furnished on its under side with a pad of elast1c practically non-compressible substance composed preferably of a sheet of rubber 16 faced with porous material such as the textile fabric 17. (See Fig. 6.)

As a simple and efficient means to reciprocate the chest, I preferably support it by and upon a piston 18 which is slidingly fitted to a hydraulic cylinder 19 in operative communication with an ordinary hydraulic pump 20, said .cylinder being conveniently made an integral part of the bed 11. v The such a manner that the piston and its chestare forcibly raised, and whereby the liquid can be diverted from such cylinder to the tank when a predetermined pressure has been exerted upon the piston.

The pipe and valve connections herein illustrated may be briefly described as follows: 26 is an inlet pipe leading from the tank to the lower portion of the pump cylinder and provided with the usual check valve 27 28 is a discharge pipe leading from the-pump cylinder to the lower portion of the interior of the hydraulic cylinder 19 and provided also with the usual check valve 29, and-30 is a return pipe leading from the interior of the lower part ofthe hydraulic cylinder to'the upper portion of the tank. The return pipe 30 is provided at a suitable point in its length with a return valve 31 which normally interrupts the communica tion between the cylinder 19 and the tank, said valve being preferably a puppet valve which is yieldingly held to its seat, as by a lever 32 which is pivoted at w and is equipped with an adjustable weight 33. This valve thus constitutes a safety valve which is adjusted to control the maximum pressure exerted by the liquid upon the piston within the hydraulic cylinder that is to say, when such pressure reaches a prescribed limit the yalve is automatically opened thereby, to permit the return of the liquid to the tank. The discharge pipe 28 is provided with an ordinary pressure gage 28 Leading from the top of the vacuum chamber to the open air is a pipe 34: provided with a valve 35 adapted to beopened or closed to permit or check-the ingress of air to the chamber, as desired. The stem of this valve is provided with a crank 36 thatis connected by means of a link 37 with the inner arm of a hand lever 38 which is fulcrumed on a suitably disposed post 39 on the bed plate 11, so that by manipulation of the lever 38 thevalve 35 can be readily opened or closed as desired. The inner arm of the valve lever 32 extends adjacent the lower portion of the link 37 and thelatter is conveniently provided with a laterally projecting shoulder, as the pin 4() wh1ch overhangs the proximate arm of sald lever, so that when the hand lever is operated to pull down the link and open the air-inlet valve 35, the shoulder impinges upon the opposing lever arm to efiect the release of the valve 31 from the closing pressure of the weighted lever arm, thus permitting the liquid readily to open the valve 31 and escape to the tank. When the handlever is lowered to clos'ethe air-inlet valve 35 the 32 upon the stem of the valve.

shoulder is raised from the lever 32 and the safety valve is caused to resume 1ts seat by the action of the weighted arm of the lever The general'operation of'the mechanism above described is as follows: Assuming the chest to be in its normal or down position, the .door thereof is opened and a num-' ber of receptacles, such as the glasses A with flanged metallic covers a resting loosely upon them, are placed within the vacuum chamber immediately below the stationary sealing head.. The door is then closed and the hand lever 38 is operated to close the air valve 35 and permit the safety valve 31 to occupy its normal or closing position.

Communication of the chamber with the atmosphere thus being out off, a vacuum is established within the chamber through the agency of the exhaust pump; and at the same tlme, on account of the looseness of .chest in such a manner that the covers of the contained receptacles are pressed tightly against the opposing stationary head and brought into intimate sealing contact with the edges of the respective receptacles. The safety valve 31 is so regulated that when a predetermined pressure has been exerted upon the covers thesaid valve is raised and the liquid is ermitted to return from the hydraulic cylinder to the tank through the pipe 30. At this time the lever 38 is manually operated to'open the valve 35 to permit the outside air to enter the vacuum chamber, and also to cause the pin 40 to bear upon the lever 32 andrelieve the safety valve. Thus the lifting force of the liquid is removed from the piston, and the latter and the chest are permitted to descend and lower the receptacles and their covers from the sealing head; the liquid returning to the tank by way of the pipe 30. The door of the chest is then opened and the sealed receptacles are removed. When the air is admitted to thechamber the action of the ers maintains them in sealing contact with Y the receptacles, it being understood, of course, that such pressure is instantly established on the opening of the air-valve before the slow escape of the liquid through the safety-valve has permitted material retraction of the receptacles from the stationary head. The efliciency of the sealing contact is contributed to by the usual elastic packing a on the undersides of the respective covers; and also b covers of the elastlc practically non-compressible substance of the sealing head. The pressure of the circular edges of the covers against this substance causes the circumscribed portions, of the latter to bulge ice the action upon the forcibly upon the tops of, the respective covers in a manner to depress the same and of one of the .covers before andafter the depressing action of'the sealing head thereon are clearly illustrated.

I claim: I

1. In a sealing apparatus, the combination of a vacuum chest and a sealing head therein movable relatively .to each other, a

5 cylinder, a piston therein connected with the movable element, means for supplying pressure to the piston in said cylinder, pressure relief means, including a valve, for the cylinder, means for exhausting air from said chest, means, including a valve, for admitting air to said chest, and connections between the two valves whereby they can be simultaneously operated.

2. In a sealing apparatus, the combination of a vacuum chest and a sealing head therein movable relatively to each other, a cylinder, a piston-therein connected with the movable element, apump, a tank, a con.-

nection to provide operative communication,

of the pump with the cylinder and the tank, said latter connection including a valve whereby'the communication with the tank can be periodically established, an air inlet for the said chest, a valve for said inlet, and connections between the two valves whereby they can be simultaneously operated.

i 3. a sealing apparatus, the combination w1th a cyllnder', its piston, a pump, a

tank, a connection to provide operative communication of the pump with the cylinder and the tank, and a connection to provide return communication between the cylinder and the tank, said latter connection includinga valve whereby the communication with the tank can be periodically established, of a reciprocable vacuum chest adapted to be actuated by the piston, a stationary sealing head within the chest, an air inlet for the chest, a valve for said inlet, a lever, a link connection between said lever and the air inlet valve, and means whereby when the lever is operated to open said air-inlet "valve,v

the first-named valve is relieved to permit the escape of the fluid from the piston to the tank. v

Signed at New York in the county of and State of New York this first day of-February A. D. 1912. 1

ALFRED L. WEISSENTHANNER. xWitnessesz' JOSEPH SCHARFENBERGER, JuLEs D. DoMMERoun. 

